


Hacked

by politicalmamaduck



Category: Saturday Night Live, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Reydar Month 2017, Reylo Fanfiction Anthology, reydar - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9837914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/politicalmamaduck/pseuds/politicalmamaduck
Summary: The Resistance hacks the First Order, and Matt the Radar Technician has to deal with it. Rey and Finn go undercover to extract more data, and Rey runs into someone she didn't expect.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Love in Unexpected Places: Reydar Month 2017 with the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology!

“Matt? Matt. Your presence is requested in the Situation Room at once. It’s an emergency, Matt. We haven’t got all day.”

Kylo Ren resisted the urge to growl at the poor lackey, and forced himself to remember that at the moment, he was not Kylo Ren. He was Matt, a lowly radar technician, and of course these pathetic fools would demand his presence if something went wrong. Despite his hatred and disdain for the menial work, he was good at his job, something for which he prided himself. Not only was he an adept Force user, powerful fighter, excellent starpilot, and language master, he was also damned good at repairing and maintaining computer systems.

He made his way down to the control room of the  _ Finalizer _ before heading off to the Situation Room. Everything appeared to be in order there; no incompetence had left a cable loose or a unit turned off. He did not hurry to the Situation Room. He resented being ordered around, no matter his name or guise. He might have been pretending to be Matt at the moment, but underneath his wig and glasses he was still Kylo Ren. 

When he arrived, there were all manner of First Order officers scrambling around with their comm units, lights and signals blinking, and automated voices squealing. 

“Something is wrong with the network,” a slightly less frazzled looking tech sergeant said to him, gesturing at a datapad in his hand. “It appears that a pernicious virus has infiltrated the system. We’re having trouble locating the source, but we’re working on it. In the meantime, all HoloNet connections need to be shut down, and comms turned off. We have got to figure out who is behind this cyber attack, and why.”

“How could someone infiltrate our network with a virus?” Kylo practically growled at the tech, then remembered he was supposed to be Matt right now. Matt was awkward, and not as openly and obviously angry all the time the way Kylo was. It was a difficult lesson in patience and masking things in the Force. Kylo was not entirely sure whether being Matt was more or less stressful than being himself. 

“We’re not entirely sure yet, but we think it might have been in a personal comm attachment. A phishing scam of sorts. You know, you open something and it’s not what you thought it was,” said the sergeant, his eyes swiveling back and forth rather than looking directly at Matt and tugging on his collar.

“Stop making excuses for this idiocy. I know how phishing works, and if that’s what happened, we need to get the Technology department to fix the system so it can’t happen again! And you need to educate these pathetic fools about personal communications using First Order resources.” Kylo stopped, realizing he probably should not have said so much. The sergeant looked taken aback, but at a Force-laden gesture from Kylo, nodded.

“Yes, of course. We’re working on identifying the problem as fast as we can, as well as attempting to isolate it and repair the network. In the meantime, could you give us a hand?”

All Kylo could do was nod grimly. If confidential First Order data had been leaked, there would be a reckoning worthy of all nine Corellian hells. 

…

At the command center of the Resistance base, a cheer went up as computer screens started to register large data uploads and file transfers.

“We did it! Someone clicked on the comm!” A resounding cheer and round of applause followed. 

“Way to go, Finn. Thank you so much for your help,” a tech officer said, approaching the former Stormtrooper who was positioned in the back of the room, watching the large overhead screens. Poe Dameron had his arm around him, watching with a satisfied smile. 

“No problem,” said Finn. “I knew someone would fall for it. Stormtroopers are desperate for entertainment, for something outside the routine.” 

“More than one someone,” Officer Lodja said with a smile, gesturing at a datapad in her arm. “We got one hit on the cat video, another on the ‘Which Famous Podracer Are You?’ personality quiz, and one on the Dejarik betting site.”

“Wow, that’s great! You all really did a wonderful job creating those comm messages and attachments. I’m so glad it worked,” Finn said, smiling at her. 

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Now we wait and see how much data we can obtain before they’re able to stop the virus’s spread.” 

“Hopefully some of it proves worthwhile,” said Poe, nodding at Officer Lodja. She smiled back before returning to her station. 

Clapping Poe on the back, Finn headed out of the command center towards the mess. Rey usually took a meal at about this time, and he wanted to tell her of their great cyber success. 

…

Back at the  _ Finalizer _ , Kylo Ren was frantically typing away into a datapad, trying to get at the root files embedded in the main server providing secure HoloNet connections for the First Order’s officers and personnel aboard the ship. As Matt the Radar Technician, he typically worked on the physical hardware rather than the software maintaining the delicate technology, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And the tech officers couldn’t know it, but his administrative clearance codes were providing some help as he was able to get past the system’s firewalls and restricted access. 

It was painfully slow going, however, as every time he would complete a line of code something would happen to stymie him, whether the system’s own protective measures or the damned virus infecting the system. 

_ Whoever did this is going to pay dearly _ , he thought. He would have loved nothing more than to be taking out his rage on some training droids in a quiet practice room, but gritting his teeth and furiously typing code would have to do for now. Being Matt was teaching him much about patience and waiting for the right moment, as much it made him want to boil over with rage. He didn’t always agree with his Master, but Kylo had to admit he was wise. 

After glaring so hard at his computer screen that his brow appeared permanently creased, he finally created himself an access point. Looking at the system’s root files, he could see the virus’s effects. Nearly 69% of the files had been corrupted, and were being uploaded to an external host. He forced a system shutdown, then began eradicating the virus, one file at a time. It was even more torturously slow going than trying to obtain access to the virus in the first place. 

“The virus has stopped spreading,” reported the sergeant to the assembled team. “We must remove it from all affected files and determine how it was able to infect our systems in the first place.” 

“Already doing that,” muttered Kylo. “And you’re kriffing welcome.” 

It had already been a long day. Thank the Force he only had three hours left as Matt. He would not be returning to his alternate persona for quite some time. Let the idiots whose job it was solve the disaster, and do what he was born to do: use the Force. 

He sighed, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and continued to repair and delete files. 

…

“Hey, where’s  _ my _ muffin?” Finn asked playfully as he sat down across from Rey. She cocked her head towards the snack counter as she chewed, rolling her eyes at Finn.   


“Go get one,” she said, around a mouthful of blueberry muffin. 

“I thought we were supposed to be friends,” Finn moaned, reaching towards the remainders of Rey’s muffin. 

“Hey kids, sorry to interrupt. But we’re going to need some help at Command,” said Poe, while approaching their table. Rey nodded, and shoved the last bites of muffin into her mouth as she got up. Finn smiled at Poe, putting his arm around his shoulders and following Rey to the command center. 

Officer Lodja greeted them warmly as they arrived, but Rey could tell she was nervous. Her smile was slightly strained, and her grasp on her data pad was particularly tight. 

“It seems someone in the First Order has been able to isolate and start removing the virus,” she began. “We were still able to download much of their data, but we didn’t have as much time as we thought we would.”

“That must have been a very talented slicer,” Finn said. Officer Lodja nodded. 

“Yes, it seems so,” she said. “We got almost everything we needed about how they built  _ Starkiller _ , their training facilities, and weapons caches, but the files on the extent of their fleet and personnel are woefully incomplete. We need to be able to access the mainframe data hub on the  _ Finalizer _ for the virus to continue spreading past what they’ve been able to stop and block. Would you be willing to take a team undercover and infiltrate the  _ Finalizer _ , Finn? I know this is asking a lot. But you know the ship so well and could blend in much more easily than someone who’s been with the Resistance their entire life.” 

Officer Lodja breathlessly looked up at Finn, seemingly imploring him with her dark doe eyes. 

Only General Organa had been able to resist the tech officer with that look on her face, and Finn was no exception. 

“I’ll do it, Officer,” he said. 

“And I’ll go with him,” Rey said immediately. “He’ll need protection, and I can use the Force to help us along.” 

“Thank you both,” said Officer Lodja. “And may the Force be with you.”


	2. Chapter Two

The _Finalizer_ was a maze of hallways, corridors, and locked doors that looked exactly alike. The First Order’s clinical precision seemed to require a uniformity of design and look, representative of their brainwashed beliefs. _Order_ , Rey thought as she and Finn walked through the endless halls to the Situation Room. She repressed a shudder, thinking of all that her friend had been through. She was no longer Rey of Jakku, but now Data Specialist Padme. General Organa had told Rey that Padme had been her birth mother’s name, and Rey was honored to use it as her undercover identity. Finn was to be known as Data Specialist Rook, an homage to an Imperial defector who had helped the Rebellion obtain the Death Star plans. Both Finn and Rey considered learning galactic history to be among their favorite things since joining the Resistance.

Despite having walked what felt like kilometers upon kilometers, Rey felt they arrived at the Situation Room all too soon. It interrupted her from her reflections upon the downfall of the Republic and all that she had learned. Stopping in front of the door, she nodded at Finn, giving him a small smile and squeezing his hand. They entered the room, bracing themselves for what was to come.

“Data Specialists Rook and Padme, reporting for duty, sir,” Finn said, standing in perfect military posture, looking and sounding confident. Rey did the same, schooling her face to a perfectly blank expression, as if this were just another job.

“Thank you, Data Specialists,” a dour looking First Order sergeant said. “We’re glad that the _Dominator_ could send you over. We’re very much all hands on deck, as you can see here.” He gestured to the group of radar technicians, data specialists, information officers, and others scurrying around with headsets and data pads. It looked like chaos to Rey; she was very much looking forward to accessing the First Order’s network and having some fun.

“Yes, sir,” said Finn and Rey. 

“We’ll be assigning you two to pairs in hopes that we can find the source of the virus that infected our systems,” he continued. “We’ve been able to stop its spread, but not to completely eradicate it nor discover its source.” At this, he tugged at his collar as if it were too tight, turning faintly red.

_They must have been putting a lot of pressure on him from above_ , thought Rey. Finn looked ever so slightly over at her, unnoticeable to the sergeant.

“Data Specialist Padme, you’ll be with Radar Technician Matt, and Data Specialist Rook, you’ll be with Lieutenant Jonzz.” He gestured at two people at the corner of the room who appeared to be having a heated argument. Matt was tall, with messy yellow hair that didn’t quite match his complexion and glasses. Lieutenant Jonzz appeared to be having none of whatever Matt was telling her.

Rey found herself trying not to cringe as the radar technician pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed up his glasses as he glared at the lieutenant. She ignored him, rolling her eyes, and approached Rey and Finn.

“Welcome to the _Finalizer_ ,” she said. “I’m Lieutenant Jonzz.” She smiled and extended her hand to Rey, and then to Finn. She seemed much friendlier than the recalcitrant Matt.

“You’ll be with Data Specialist Rook,” the sergeant said, gesturing to Finn.

“Well, come on then, Rook,” she said. “Let’s get to it. We won’t be as slow as Matt over there,” she added, jutting her chin out at him, to which he scowled.

“I’m Matt,” he said, looking down at Rey. His voice was deep and somehow familiar, giving Rey pause for a moment. Her Force sense tingled, but then she damped it down, not wanting to draw the attention of a certain Dark Side Force user whom she knew to be in residence on the _Finalizer_. She did not want to have another confrontation with Kylo Ren.

“Padme,” she said, extending her hand. “Shall we get to work then?” she asked, smiling up at him. He continued to scowl, shaking his head.

“This should have been fixed days ago,” he said, as they headed to a server room separate from the main Situation Room.

“And why wasn’t it?” asked Rey, trying to sound concerned rather than eager. The more she could learn about the First Order to take back to the Resistance while maintaining her cover, the happier she’d be.

“Because there’s too many incompetent fools working in IT,” he blurted out, then stopped suddenly, looking around to make sure they were alone. He seemed irrationally angry to Rey, his cheeks splotched with color.

“Well, I’m here to help,” she said, trying to sound soothing. “How much of the virus were they able to extract?”

“Not as much as they should have,” he said. “I started repairing files, but the lower level techs weren’t able to access them and repair them as quickly.”

“Sounds like you’ve been working very hard,” Rey said, trying to ingratiate herself with her awkward partner. He seemed the type to respond well to flattery, she thought. _If only more of the First Order were like Finn, we’d have won the war by now._

She realized that Matt was looking at her strangely, so she tried to smile at him again. She felt another flicker of Force presence, and willed herself not to turn from her partner and look behind her, terrified of what--or who--she’d see. Her disguise wasn’t all that great, she realized. Yet there were no ominous sounds of footsteps from behind her, and Matt wasn’t acting as if someone were approaching them.

“How did you get the name Padme?” he asked, sounding altogether too suspicious for Rey’s liking.

She was startled by the abrupt question, but attempted to recover quickly. “I was adopted,” she started hesitantly. “My mother was fond of the name.” She decided to let it go at that, with the half-truth. General Organa had adopted her, in a way, and Rey knew the name meant quite a deal to her.

Matt continued to look at her quizzically, then seemed to let the moment pass, harrumphing at the data readout from the server ahead of them.

“There,” he said, gesturing at a line of code. “You see the problem?”

Sure enough, the Resistance code had infiltrated the system, overriding files and embedding itself into the First Order’s data.

“I do,” she replied, narrowing her eyes. She could see the hasty patches the data technicians had put in to try to stop the virus’s spread, but she could tell it was hurried, desperate work.

“Let’s get to work then,” barked Matt, handing Rey a datapad. She looked over at him, his brow furrowed in concentration, and couldn’t help but think that something seemed oddly familiar about him.

Hours later, Rey was more tired than she cared to admit. It took a lot of energy to dampen her Force signature and Matt had her on edge. Through the hours they had spent combing through data readouts and lines of code, his gruff demeanor had begun to soften a little. He still seemed to be irrationally angry about the most trivial things, but at least he had begun to actually make conversation with her rather than grumbling and scowling constantly.

She slid her secret comm that transmitted only to Finn and to Resistance command out of her hidden pocket, and lay in her bunk waiting for her best friend’s message.

It would be a long night, but they would reinsert lines of code into files that the First Order hadn’t been able to access yet. Hopefully the damage would be done by the time they realized the virus had returned.

Rey quietly snuck out of her small quarters a few standard hours later, when the day cycle had turned to night and the majority of the _Finalizer_ ’s officers had retreated to their own quarters.

She met Finn down in the darkened hallways leading to the data servers, nodded at him, and got to work.

…

The next morning came way too soon. Bleary eyed, Rey struggled to turn off the alarm on her chrono. Everything had gone swimmingly for Finn and her the night before. Only four more days, and they would be leaving the _Finalizer_ to head back to the Resistance--or as the First Order officers believed, back to the _Dominator_. It couldn’t come soon enough for Rey. She couldn’t shake the feeling of a familiar Force signature.

Sighing, she stretched her back and arms and got out of bed, preparing to meditate before breakfast.

When Rey reported in for duty, Matt was nowhere to be found. Finn and Lieutenant Jonzz seemed to be getting along just fine, which was promising; it made it that much less likely that she’d suspect anything was amiss. Matt being gone was making Rey’s every sense stand at attention, worried that he suspected her or that Kylo Ren would find her.

Rey set to work by herself, breathing deeply and trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Being alone, sans her irritable partner, she took the opportunity not to fix the First Order’s files, but rather to reintroduce the virus and make sure the work she and Finn had done the night before had not been noticed. It was a long, quiet day, and Rey found herself even missing Matt’s company by the end. The quiet tedium of working with her hands reminded her intensely of Jakku. She had grown soft on the Resistance base, accustomed to working in a team with noise and hubbub surrounding her constantly. The First Order seemed to prize solitude in one’s work in a way that would have made a scavenger proud.

While Rey was sabotaging the First Order’s data and ensuring it would be transmitted to the Resistance, Kylo Ren was systematically destroying an entire training room full of practice droids and weaponry. His master refused to recuse him from his duties as Matt, insisting that it would help him connect with his emotions and teach him about the inner workings of the First Order. Kylo had been generally resistant to following General Hux’s orders, preferring to focus mainly on Dark Side traditions and lore with the Knights of Ren rather than the greater objectives of the Order’s high command.

The only redeeming thing about spending his day trapped as Matt was the quiet data specialist from the _Dominator_ with his grandmother’s name, who reminded him so much of someone he knew he should not be thinking about. He had to find out more about her; he wondered if she was from Naboo. But to spend another day as a servant to the whims of the _Finalizer_ ’s incompetent tech department seemed more than Kylo could bear, even with the company of a lovely woman.

His master would regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for how long it's taken me to update this--law school has gotten in the way.   
> Lieutenant Jonzz belongs to [Vivien](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Vivien/pseuds/Vivien), and is of course Leslie Jones' character from the SNL skit. Huge thanks to Vivien for allowing me to borrow her, and to ReyloTrashCompactor for her amazing beta skills and friendship.


	3. Chapter Three

The next day aboard the _Finalizer_ brought the return of Matt as Rey’s partner. Based on her thorough integration of the virus while she was unsupervised the day before, the Resistance would certainly have the remaining data they needed before Rey and Finn departed the _Finalizer_ in three days.

Matt seemed even more grumpy than he was their first day together. He practically stomped to their assigned server, muttering as they went. Rey was unsure how best to approach him when he was in such a foul mood, and she was nervous about what he would do if he discovered the newly hacked systems.

She didn’t have to worry long, however, as Matt slowly banged around an access panel with a hydrospanner, seemingly not at all paying attention to his work and cursing as he continued to accidentally hit his hands and thumbs. She wasn’t entirely sure what he was attempting to do, but she stood back and let him do it, knowing the Resistance was receiving precious data while he fiddled around.

“Is your family from Naboo?” Matt suddenly asked her, looking up at her from behind his thick glasses. Rey was startled out of her thoughts and looked down at Matt. From her vantage point above him for once, Rey noticed his long eyelashes and seemingly soft skin. It was strange; he looked rather young and vulnerable from this angle. Not at all like the grouch she had just heard curse for the past hour. Rey put the thought out of her mind, trying not to visibly shake her head. _Concentrate, Rey, he asked you a question_.

“No, sadly,” she said, attempting to weave a story like the old wives of Jakku. While she loved the old wives’ tales, she had always feared the day she would become one herself. She had, in a way, despite her young age. She wanted to convince Matt of her story’s truth like the wise women had convinced her of her family’s return.

“My mother was adopted, and she adopted me in turn. We’re not really entirely sure where we’re all from, but my mother’s parents were Alderaanian, and I always liked to imagine that my birth parents had come from there.” It was almost entirely true. Rey had imagined her family coming from any number of exotic planets, lightyears away from Jakku, on many a starry hot night.

She realized Matt was still staring at her, not having moved or responded to her answer, so she smiled softly down at him.

“My mother was from Alderaan too,” he said softly, and turned his face back towards his access panel.

Rey could sense sadness rolling off of him in waves, and what felt like a sharp pang of regret. She thought it best not to probe him, and simply said, “I’m sorry.”

He looked back at her once more, nodding at her, then forced his hydrospanner inside the panel.

Rey spent the rest of the day distracted, puzzling over Matt. He was so forward and irritable, yet there was something sad and soft about him that she had noticed today. She couldn’t shake the familiar feeling either. He seemed like a lost soul, adrift in an aimless job with endless routine. She couldn’t help but think that he belonged with the Resistance rather than the First Order. Lieutenant Jonzz, Finn’s partner, as well. They were too good and competent to truly belong here, friendless and unappreciated. She wondered how Matt would come out of his shell once he had to be social with coworkers. She knew they couldn’t risk recruiting their supposed colleagues, but her heart ached to see so many lives wasting away aboard the _Finalizer_ , serving an ungrateful master who knew only how to exploit.

She knew all about waiting and slaving away each day.

Rey stole a few hours of sleep before she snuck out of her bunk to meet Finn, dreaming of Matt’s arms around her shoulders as she introduced him to General Leia. It was startling, yet somehow comforting and peaceful.

It made her cover story seem less of a lie.

 _Two more days_ , she thought, stifling a yawn as she headed down to breakfast the next morning. She could sleep after she and Finn made the jump to hyperspace in two days. It would not be comfortable, but it would do.

Thinking of Finn and his love for muffins, she stole an extra one to give to Matt. Maybe it would help him be less surly. She had become accustomed to his awkward peevishness over the past few days and was honestly starting to enjoy his company. He was easy to work with, even if he wasn’t easy to get along with--the opposite of her experiences on the Resistance base. Her colleagues were her friends, and sometimes that made it all the harder to concentrate on a task, especially when Rey was not used to having any friends at all, let alone so many.

Today she and Matt were back to dealing with lines of data readout and re-coding. So far, her surreptitious work with Finn had gone unnoticed, at least by Matt. The Resistance had not yet communicated with them about what had been received. Rey could only hope that the data were being successfully transmitted and downloaded. 

“Hey, I got you a muffin,” Rey said, holding it out to Matt.

He looked taken aback by the simple gesture, awkwardly pushing up his glasses and squinting at Rey.

“Thanks,” he said, taking it from her. Their fingers brushed, and Rey felt a current run through her. Something intangible and intimate and very appealing emanated from that accidental touch, and Rey suddenly damped down on her Force signature once more, terrified that she had accidentally projected something in that moment.

Matt looked at her quizzically, and Rey knew somehow she had given something away. She would be on edge the rest of the day. _I really should have made this disguise better_ , she thought, smiling outwardly at Matt and attempting to lower her heart rate.

“So which server are we working on today?” she asked, trying not to sound nervous or on edge.

“One of the ones that should have been fixed already,” Matt said with a scowl, and Rey almost audibly breathed a sigh of relief. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Matt munched on his muffin and grumbled about his co-workers, and Rey laughed along.

They were discussing stormtrooper antics when Matt suddenly stopped and stared at Rey again. She could scarcely breathe. _Oh R’iia_ , _have I been projecting through the Force this whole time_? She hated the dishonesty of her disguise, and she knew she was letting too much of herself shine through, distracted by Matt’s bluntness and deprecating sense of humor.

“You have a really nice laugh,” he said, and looked down at his feet, suddenly shy again.

“Thank you,” she replied. “You tell funny stories, it makes it easy to laugh.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, then Matt finally looked at Rey again, and smiled at her. It was disarmingly charming, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he were trying to flirt with her in his own way. 

They completed their work for the day, and Rey’s cheeks ached from so much smiling. She found her heart aching as well, for the day after the next she would have to bid her new friend goodbye. Beneath the gruff, unpolished exterior, he was witty and comic.

Matt bid her goodbye for the night, and she continued to sit with her reflections. She closed her eyes to search her feelings the way Master Luke had taught her, when she caught a strain of that Force presence she had been feeling once more. She jolted her eyes back open, but all she could see was Matt clomping down the hallway, his datapad in hand.

The presence didn’t seem sinister anymore, but rather a comfortable kind of familiar.

She was puzzled. Remembering her first day, she would have sworn on R’iia’s breath that the presence she had been feeling was Kylo Ren’s.

But now all she could feel was warmth, remembering Matt’s smile and laugh.

  
Rey went to sleep that night with a smile on her face, dreaming of muffins and laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to ReyloTrashCompactor for her beta work and friendship.


	4. Chapter Four

Rey’s last day aboard the _Finalizer_ dawned. She found herself regretting how short her undercover adventure had been. She had learned so much about not only the First Order, and the thoroughly non-evil people that worked for them, but also herself.

She walked to her station in a semi-haze, yawning as she went. She was really looking forward to a nap on board the shuttle back home with Finn.

When she arrived, Matt was already there, which was odd. He seemed to be even less an early riser than she was. He had his back to her, and seemed to be fiddling with something. He didn’t notice her approach, and jumped when she said “Good morning.”

“You’re up and working hard early this morning, I see,” she said, and suddenly, Matt whirled around, his cheeks bright red and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

“I, uh, got these for you,” he said, thrusting the flowers at her. “Since it’s your last day here and all.”

Rey was speechless. The flowers were beautiful, deep red blooms with bright green leaves. Her first day on the _Finalizer_ , she never would have guessed that Matt would be capable of such a gesture.  She could feel heat rising from her core to her cheeks; they must have been as red as the flowers.

“Thank you so much, Matt,” she managed to say, looking down at the blossoms. “These are lovely. I love plants and flowers.”

“I thought so,” he said, with the hint of a smile. “So I hope you’ll remember me when you head back to the _Dominator_ ,” he continued, quietly, turning away from her again.

“Of course I will,” she said. “How could I forget someone as unique as you?” she teased, lightly punching him in the arm, to which he chuckled.

“Yeah, there aren’t many radar technicians like me, I guess,” he said, blushing in turn.

“No, definitely not,” Rey replied, laughing. Her heart twinged to think of leaving her new friend behind, at what might have been had their relationship not been formed under false pretenses.

They continued their work together that day, typing out lines of code, looking up and smiling at each other every so often and blushingly, hurriedly looking back down at their datapads when they caught the other’s glance.

_Don’t be afraid. I feel it too._

_Where did that come from_? Rey thought. The memory of Kylo Ren was at the forefront of her mind, but it didn’t seem frightening at all anymore. She was a different person to the scared scavenger who only wanted to return to Jakku that had been ensnared so easily by the figure in a mask. She was strong, and confident, and powerful in her own right now.

She knew the Master of the Knights of Ren had changed much since their fight in the dark snow. Resistance intelligence had reported that he was laying low after his defeat, but Rey knew that there was something more to his disappearance from official First Order activity. There was a connection between them that she would have liked to deny, but it was there all the same.

She continued to type as she reflected on all that had happened, hoping Matt would take her distraction for deep concentration, trying to do a good job on her last day. She also hoped he wouldn’t notice she was undoing quite a bit of the previous day’s work. Every line of code was more precious data for the Resistance.

“So, uh, Padme,” Matt suddenly said, and Rey looked up, startled but curious. “Do you get the standard vacation package? I’m not sure how different ranks are for data specialists versus radar technicians,” he continued, speaking quickly and excitedly. “But I was thinking, um maybe someday we could meet up on Naboo? You’d really like it. There’s flowers everywhere. And a beautiful mural of Padme Amidala. And we wouldn’t have to talk about work. We wouldn’t have to talk at all, I guess, if you didn’t want to…”

Before Matt could continue, Rey gently leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she truly realized what she was doing.

“I’d love to see Naboo someday,” she said, feeling as though her heart would burst.

_Kriff, Rey, you shouldn’t have done that. But you kiss Poe and Finn like that all the time, it’s friendly, there’s nothing wrong with that. But he works for the First Order, and you’re here undercover and you’ll probably never see him again._  Rey’s internal monologue was an incessant battle with herself for the rest of their shift. She and Matt had discussed their theoretical vacation to Naboo, and her face hurt from smiling and from blushing. 

They parted ways for the last time after a hard day’s work with a hug and promises to keep in touch and to share a vacation on Naboo the next year.

After quietly having dinner in the ship’s mess, Rey flopped onto her bed in her quarters, holding her flowers to her chest. She had eaten quickly, hoping to take some time to herself to process her emotions. Her heart was still beating rapidly from the excitement of the day and in anticipation of the clandestine work she’d be doing for the last time that night. As an extra precaution for their last night, and to ensure that the Resistance would receive absolutely everything they could possibly need, Rey and Finn arranged to split up and head to opposite ends of the ship to continue the virus’s spread through the _Finalizer_ ’s servers. It would be a hack for the ages.

Setting an alarm on her wrist chrono, she closed her eyes to take a nap before starting the night’s work.

 

* * *

 

On the other side of the ship, Kylo Ren removed his wig and glasses. His time as Matt was coming to an end, as was his time with the beautiful data specialist. Something beyond his grandmother’s name seemed enticingly familiar about her, like something fragrant and fresh wafting through a breeze. Her presence in the Force reminded him so much of Rey that it created an almost physical ache in his chest.

Portraying Matt had been an exercise in frustration, from which he learned nothing other than he could, in fact, have conversation with and charm a woman he found attractive. The person he had been before had been hopelessly awkward, tall and lanky and painfully shy. It might have taken him a ridiculous disguise, but he was relieved to know he had finally outgrown his ignominious teenage years.

He was irritated enough at his master that he considered personally arranging a transfer for Padme from the _Dominator_ to the _Finalizer_. He was tired of having to pursue aims other than his own. Hux’s incompetent crew should have fixed the hack, not the Master of the Knights of Ren. And surely Padme had better things to do with her time.

As he was meditating on his feelings, Matt’s datapad beeped a warning alarm.

“What the kriff--” he started, then his jaw dropped.

All the work that he and Padme had done the entire week had been undone.

The virus was spreading, and uploading data to an unknown source.

And no one knew save for him.

Kylo Ren grabbed his lightsaber and cowl, and stormed out of his quarters, not bothering to replace his disguise.

  
There would be nine Corellian hells to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my dear friend Larirenshadow for betaing this chapter for me! Thank you so much to everyone who's reading and commenting--it is a light at the end of the tunnel for me getting through this semester of law school!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has required a ratings change to M!

Kylo stalked down to the depths of the _Finalizer_ to the largest server room, filled with data terminals and towers of processors. No one had seen him without his mask or his disguise, for which he was relieved. It prevented him from having to explain to any pathetic life forms who he was and what he was doing.

Setting down his lightsaber and cowl at the main data station, he grabbed a datapad and got to work.

* * *

 

Rey awoke in her quarters across the ship with a jolt. She had fallen deeply asleep during her nap, dreaming of a field of flowers on Naboo.

She quickly freshened up, grabbing her comlink and hiding her lightsaber in her bulky uniform. She wasn’t about to take any chances on her last night aboard the _Finalizer_.

Slipping quietly out of her quarters, she headed to the main server room in the bowels of the ship. Finn would be headed to the Situation Room at the same time.

The Resistance would be proud of them.

Rey felt a twinge at her heart, however, thinking of how they had to deceive Matt and Lieutenant Jonzz.

She hoped that one day their paths would cross again, and that Matt would be able to forgive her.

Thinking of the stories she would tell when she returned home, she hurried along to the data terminals, hoping she wouldn’t be seen by anyone.

* * *

 

Kylo was hard at work, cursing under his breath at the depth of the hacking, when he suddenly felt a warm, familiar presence in the Force.

“What the kriff--” he started, and whirled around to look up and see none other than the scavenger Rey before him.

Judging by the look on her face, she was just as shocked and startled to see him as he was to see her.

She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again just as suddenly, standing there and gaping at him.

Neither one moved, not even to reach for their lightsabers.

“Rey?” he asked, hesitantly. Noticing her apparel, and how she had tried to conceal her lightsaber in her tool belt, he realized exactly what had happened.

“You’re Padme? You did this hacking,” he asked, gesturing at the datapad he had dropped on the counter. “You did one hell of a job,” he continued. “I’ve cursed you through all nine Corellian hells and back.”

At that, she finally smiled, and she looked like the Padme he had gotten to know, even without her wig and makeup.

“The data specialists at the Resistance designed the original virus,” she said, looking down at her feet. “I was sent to extract remaining data and to attempt to get it to continue spreading.”

“Well, it worked,” he said.

She nodded.

They continued to stand there, neither moving or looking at each other.

Kylo turned away from her, suddenly returning to his awkward self without his Matt disguise. He didn’t know what to do, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I always wondered why your hair looked so strange,” she said, and he turned back around and looked up at her watching him roughly pulling at his hair.

“You look different with glasses,” she said. “It’s endearing.”

“Really?” Rey couldn’t believe it, but Kylo Ren was blushing. The tips of his ears were bright red. He ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit, Rey supposed.

“It wasn’t that good of a disguise,” he mumbled.

“Neither was mine,” she said, laughing slightly. “I felt terrible about deceiving Matt the Radar Technician. Guess I didn’t need to feel so badly after all. Why were you dressed up like that anyway?”

“It was supposed to be a lesson, from my master,” he said, looking at her in earnest. Rey was taken once more by how dark and deep his eyes were, something she had noticed on _Starkiller_ but hadn’t the time--or the desire--to appreciate then.

She nodded, looking up at him and taking a step closer. His presence in the Force no longer seemed threatening or worrisome to her. He just felt like Matt, her unpolished friend.

“I think perhaps we both learned something this week,” she said, extending her hand to him.

He looked down at her hand, then up at her face. She felt terribly exposed for a moment, realizing she was still holding on to the vestiges of her disguise and concealment.

She let go, and let herself shine through the Force.

Kylo Ren took her hand, and brought it to his lips, gently kissing it and stroking her palm.

His lips were soft, and his touch gentle. Far more gentle than she could have imagined.

He was still slightly blushing, and appeared to be thinking as he continued to gently stroke her hand.

“Just for tonight,” he said. “We can be anyone we want to be. Tell me, what does Data Specialist Padme like?”

Despite herself, Rey felt her cheeks turning warm at the huskiness of Kylo’s tone. She knew the rest of her was quickly turning warm in addition to her cheeks.

She reached her other hand up to his cheek, gently brushing over the scar she had given him.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said, and he chuckled slightly.

“I deserved it,” he said. “But let’s not worry about all that now,” he continued, looking at her openly and sincerely.

The Force was open and bright between them, with no hints of darkness. There were no First Order sergeants to tell them to spend all day pecking at datapads. It was as close to a vacation on Naboo as they were going to get, now knowing the truth of the other’s identity.

Not removing her hand from his cheek, Rey pulled Kylo down for a kiss.

They moved slowly, holding each other and gently running their hands through the other’s hair.

Rey moved to unbutton Kylo’s shirt, gently pushing him back down into the chair in which he had been sitting, and straddled him once she finished pulling off his shirt.

His torso was dotted with scars crossing heavy, chiseled muscles. Rey traced each scar, each delineation of muscle with her finger.

After she finished her ministrations, he made to pull her tunic off. “May I?” he asked, and Rey couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course,” she said, gently kissing him.

“I want you to.”

He gently pulled off her tunic and undid her breast band, stroking her torso much the way she did his. He kissed and gently sucked at her nipples, making Rey arch her back and press her center more firmly into his. She could feel his hardness beneath her, and ground into him as he continued to mouth her breasts.

When she felt she could bear it no longer, she reached down from where she had been massaging Kylo’s shoulders and began to unbuckle his pants.

He kissed her once more, and pulled down her leggings and underwear. He gently pressed at and fondled her nub, sliding his index finger into her warm slickness.

At that she moaned, arching her back once more and adjusting herself so that she was more firmly on top of him in the chair.

He stroked her slowly, almost to the point of torment, adding one finger, then another. She nuzzled at his ears and neck, reaching down to stroke him beneath where he was working at her.

At that, he leaned his head back and whimpered, looking up at her through dark lashes.

“Are you ready?” he asked, huskily, to which she replied with an emphatic “Yes, Kylo.”

She grasped his hands as he guided himself up into her.

He was thicker than she expected, and it felt tight at first. Soon, however, they worked into a rhythm, their bodies rocking back and forth and the Force flowing through them.

 

When Rey came to climax, she felt more at peace than she ever had.

Kylo followed soon after, his fingers entwined in her hair, his lips at her neck.

“Oh, Rey,” he breathed, and she felt him shudder beneath her.

  
They held each other, neither wanting to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my dear Larirenshadow for betaing this chapter for me!  
> And as always, thanks to her, ReyloTrashCompactor, and my friends Desiree and Amanda for their unconditional support.


	6. Epilogue

The sky was the brightest blue Rey had ever seen; the gardens, surrounded by water and trees providing shade, were lush and plentiful. 

 

It took almost three more years, but the war between the Resistance and the First Order finally ended. 

General Hux went down with the  _ Finalizer _ ; luckily, only a skeleton crew had remained on board with him. Finn was able to rescue Lieutenant Jonzz, his partner and friend. She was able to get a job with New Republic IT on Chandrila, and kept in regular touch with Finn. 

Together, Kylo and Rey defeated Snoke, bringing balance to the Force.  

 

After they both healed from their substantial injuries, and Kylo served a sentence and made amends for his crimes while serving the First Order, they finally went to spend a week together on Naboo. 

  
Kylo brought Rey red flowers every morning to go with their muffins for breakfast, and neither one touched a datapad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of the amazing readers who went on this journey with me! It took a lot longer than I expected, but I have finished both my first year of law school and this fic.   
> A very special thank you to my betas, ReyloTrashCompactor and Larirenshadow.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive feedback always appreciated. You can find me at politicalmamaduck.tumblr.com! So much love and gratitude to ReyloTrashCompactor for being an amazing friend and beta.


End file.
